Here are also reported latest
updates on cruise law news related to ashore and shipboard crimes still investigated by the police.
Among those could be arrests, filed lawsuits against the shipowner / cruise line company, charges and fines,
grievances, settled / withdrawn legal actions, lost cases, etc.

fire – 2017

deaths – overboard (2006, 2012-crew), 2017 (crew suicide)

injuries/crimes – 2014 (4 pax with firearms)

Date

Accident

24 February 2017

Fire Accident

On February 24, 2017, at ~1:30 am, the ship suffered an engine room fire accident, while en-route from Martinique to Guadeloupe. The accident occurred in the end of 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise (itinerary Feb 17-24) roundtrip from homeport Pointe-a-Pitre (Guadeloupe) to the Antilles, Trinidad and Tobago. The list of call ports included Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo, Catalina Island), St Maarten Island (Philipsburg), Antigua (St Johns) and Martinique (Fort-de-France).

There were all 3 confusing announcements made via the ship’s PA (public address) system. The first was about an emergency on crew deck A. The second was about an emergency on service deck 0 (in the luggage area). The last was about an emergency in the ship’s engine room.

There were no official statements made by the shipowner Carnival Corporation or the ship operator Costa Crociere.

According to unofficial sources, the fire lasted for ~1,5 hours. No smoke was visible and the corridors’ fire doors were not closed, neither the ship’s ventilation / air-conditioning was affected. Passengers reported a decrease in the vessel’s cruising speed during the incident.

While no injuries were reported, soon after the fire was extinguished, a medical team was requested at one of the onboard muster stations (E).

After the vessel safely berthed at Pointe-a-Pitre, it was inspected and no deficiencies were found. The next scheduled cruise was not affected.

16 February 2017

Crew / Passenger Deaths

On February 16, 2017, a 27-year-old male crew was found dead in his cabin (possible suicide) when the ship berthed at Heritage Quay in call port St Johns (Antigua, Caribbean). The man (Conciecao Silva, from India) worked on the ship as dishwasher.

The hanging (fully dressed) body was found by the room-mate, who allegedly took it down and attempted to revive him. The ship doctor pronounced the man dead on the scene.

02 October 2014

Crew / Passenger Crimes

On October 2, 2014, when the ship docked in call port Piraeus-Athens (Greece), the police boarded and arrested 4 passengers (1 woman, 3 men) for possession of firearms. The ship was on 7-day Mediterranean cruise itinerary to Greece and Turkey, roundtrip from homeport Venice Italy.

The Piraeus departure was delayed. The incident was not announced via the PA system, so all the passengers were unaware of it. The arrest for possession of firearms was reported only by a Croatian news media, using unofficial information provided by an anonymous crew.

According to the crew, when the ship docked in Piraeus, the 4 passengers were unsuccessfully invited several times to report to the Reception Desk. After that, the ship’s security and Greek police officers entered their cabins and conducted a search, during which 4 pistols were found. The passengers were quickly located, arrested and disembarked.

Neither Greek or Italian news media reported the incident. According to Costa Crociere’s official statement (Oct 14), 5 passengers were arrested – for boarding in Venice with false documents.

02 June 2012

Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On June 2, 2012, a 21-year-old female crew jumped overboard. The woman (Lais Santiago, of Brazilian origin) worked on the ship as assistant waiter. She was last seen at 6 pm (June 1) and reported missing at 3 pm (June 2).

The incident occurred on a Mediterranean itinerary, while the ship was en-route from Valletta Malta to Catania Sicily (approx 20 ml / 30 km off Sicily’s coast). The Italian authorities (police and coast guard) were notified. CCTV camera footages showed her climbing over the railing, hesitating for a while, then jumping overboard at 2 am on June 2.

04 January 2006

Crew / Passenger Deaths

(overboard) On January 4, 2006, a 15-year-old female passenger fell overboard. The incident occurred at ~2 am, while the ship was en-route to call port Cozumel Mexico. The cruise ship, assisted by two Mexican Coast Guard vessels, conducted search operation, but the body was never found.

This accident received a huge international media coverage because the young girl (Lynsey O’ Brien, of Irish origin) was extremely drunk after being served multiple alcoholic drinks at one of the ship’s bars. The teen was traveling with her whole family – including her two sisters and the brother.

She accidentally fell from their cabin’s balcony after bending over the railing and trying to vomit. The investigation showed that she was served 2 vodkas with mixers and 8 various alcoholic cocktails (a total of 10 alcoholic beverages) in a 45 min period – before the bartender cut her off.

The accident was witnessed by one of the sisters and immediately reported to the ship’s security. The mother later stated that on the way down, the girl probably hit her head on one of the lifeboats below and fell unconscious into the sea.

On July 8, 2013, the teen’s father (Paul O’Brien) committed suicide at age 49.